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Just curious... do any of the korean players smoke?

Just asking out of curiosity here. hmm I used to think that none of them smoked until I read some threads awhile back. Still not sure about those who really do and don't. I did see some Indonesian/Chinese/Msian players being mentioned, but no Koreans. And correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems quite common for Korean males to smoke?

Was also asking cause I do have a picture of one of the korean male players and he seems to be holding something which seems like a cigarette pack in his hand whilst signing autographs but i could be wrong. Just wondering if their sportsmen are abit more cautious about smoking habits.

hey guys my intuitive response would be: no, a "sane" sportsman wouldnt smoke haha. but i've seen threads over the years here on badminton central where some members claimed to have personally seen certain players smoking in person. shrugs. i can't vouch for anything they say cause i've not seen it myself.

but having competed at international events in other sports when i was much much younger, i can say i've seen sportspeople who smoke/drink very regularly and still maintain a very high level of fitness and are very sharp in their game. sometimes even better than the non-smokers.. haha. =O seems counter-intuitive.. but they exist.. hmm. however, age seems to take a particular toll on them though. they run out of breath much more easily later on

hey guys ya my intuitive response would be a: no, "sane" sportsmen dont smoke. haha. however, over the years, they have been members here on this forum who have seen certain players smoking in person. I can't vouch for all that though cause i've not seen it myself.

however, when i used to compete in other sports on a national level, when i was much much younger. i knew of a very small number of athletes in my event who would smoke/drink regularly and still maintained a very high level of fitness. their moves were very sharp as well and you wouldn't have guessed they smoked! i'm not sure how they did it.. but they exist.. however, age seemed to take a toll on them the most, they run out of breath very easily when they were older compared to the non-smokers... figures i guess. hmm.

When you are young and have only smoked for a short time, your body can still perform pretty close to maximum.
This is the source of those people who think they are invincible to cigarettes . Although the deterioration happens at different rates in different people, believe me, it catches up to you eventually.
Here's a famous picture from the Tour de France to show you even smokers can do the near-impossible (for a while).

There are players who ignore the negative effects of smoking, and when you're young, you won't immediately notice those downsides. Reducing the lung capacity takes time, and I doubt any sportsman smokes more than a pack a day (less isn't enough to cause noticeably reduced lung volume earlier than 30).
I guess the Korean association is stricter than others, though, and might forbid national team members to smoke (which would only be right). Apart from the reduced lung volume and other long-term effects (like the much increased cancer risk), there are other side effects which don't take as long to show. And if you're aiming to play at the highest level, you have to commit - and smoking is a very clear sign you don't.
That being said, smoking seems to be much more common in Asia than in Europe nowadays - there are several rather strict laws already in effect or soon to be, and it has actually helped discouraging smoking (which I'm grateful for, the last time I went to a smoking bar I felt like coughing up my lungs during weight training the next day).

Id think players at the top level would not be allowed to smoke. Even in the State team contract in australia for my state is does say smoking whilst in the team and even drinking whilst at competition is prohibited.

Being high paid athletes at the top in the sport and their countries i highly doubt they would be allowed or silly enough to smoke. In my last 2 years off badminton I smoked alot and have recently stopped when getting back into badminton. There is not that much affect I can see for myself apart from being out of shape in general.

Id think players at the top level would not be allowed to smoke. Even in the State team contract in australia for my state is does say smoking whilst in the team and even drinking whilst at competition is prohibited.

Being high paid athletes at the top in the sport and their countries i highly doubt they would be allowed or silly enough to smoke. In my last 2 years off badminton I smoked alot and have recently stopped when getting back into badminton. There is not that much affect I can see for myself apart from being out of shape in general.

Either way I dont beleive they would smoke.

Some do. It's not a case of allowing/not allowing for other countries. Some can't stop and there might be other social pressures. Lack of knowledge is not a factor.

Would you believe a couple of modern era men's singles world champions have been known to smoke?